James F. Cosgrove, Jr.

Mr. Cosgrove has a broad background in the field of environmental engineering and science with specific experience in water quality modeling, watershed management, and litigation support.  He has managed numerous water quality modeling projects which studied the transport and transformation of conventional, toxic, and biological pollutants for wasteload allocation studies using the EPA models QUAL2E and WASP.  He has prepared, secured NJDEP approval of, and successfully implemented stream sampling work plans.  He has also prepared Discharge Allocation Certificate applications, NJPDES permit renewals, environmental assessments, and wastewater management plan amendments.  He managed the calibration and verification of an XP-SWMM model to simulate stormwater hydrology and water quality in the Whippany River Watershed, New Jersey’s  pilot watershed study, and also managed  the Raritan Basin point source assessment and pollutant attenuation rate derivation project for the New Jersey Water Supply Authority, New Jersey’s second active watershed management project.  Presently, he is managing the Non-Tidal Passaic River Nutrient TMDL Study, the Raritan River Basin Nutrient TMDL Study, the Non-Tidal Rancocas Creek Watershed Nutrient Impairment Study, and the South Branch Pennsauken Creek Model Re-verification and Nutrient Impairment Study.

 

In addition, Mr. Cosgrove has been involved in watershed studies to establish wastewater treatment plant nutrient effluent limitations.  For these studies, he was instrumental in the development of the ODM model which simulates the impact of nutrients on instream diurnal dissolved oxygen concentrations due to rooted macrophytes. He also managed a project involving the modification of the EPA model WASP to incorporate the impact of rooted macrophytes on instream dissolved oxygen dynamics and utilized this model to simulate several large tidally influenced water bodies.   Mr. Cosgrove has conducted extensive research in the area of Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) testing protocols, variability, and statistical analyses, and has provided technical support to clients with NPDES discharge permits containing WET limitations.

 

Mr. Cosgrove provided expert testimony in a multi-million dollar toxic tort litigation case which involved determining the chemical exposure history to plaintiffs from public water supply wells and the fate of contaminants in a water distribution system.  For this case, he modeled the Denver, Colorado water distribution system using the KYPIPE computer model to track water from allegedly contaminated public water supply wells. He has also been involved in similar cases in California and Arizona where he utilized the WaterCad and CYBERNET water distribution system models to simulate hydraulics and water quality in  major city systems.

 

Furthermore, Mr. Cosgrove has analyzed potential environmental impacts associated with stormwater runoff from residential, commercial, and golf course developments; and researched and designed best management practices (BMPs) used to mitigate these impacts.  He also regularly lectures on stormwater management and the new stormwater management regulations in New Jersey.  He has also addressed permitting issues related to spray irrigation of treated wastewater on turf areas.  In connection with many of the environmental impact assessments, he has provided expert testimony to municipal planning boards. 

 

He has also taught numerous seminars on establishing NPDES permit limitations for wastewater treatment facilities; has presented research papers related to water quality modeling, watershed management, and stormwater management at numerous conferences; and is active on various environmental association committees and watershed technical advisory committees.